Romans 15:13
Can I just say that I am feeling hopeless right now? Well, I guess I can since I just did. I also know that I'm not the only one! Why do I feel hopeless? Honestly, because I am not looking to the only One who brings hope. I am too busy looking at my circumstances, my pain, my wants, and my desires. I am too busy looking at what isn't there and not at Who is there.
God didn't breathe life into Scripture and say, "now, that I've said this it'll be easy to follow." The Scripture is full of verses of struggle, of human weakness, of fear, of sorrow. Yet for every struggle there are verses that speak of hope and peace. For verses that speak of our weakness we are reminded that His power works through our weakness. For every fear He says "fear not". For every sorrow He reminds us that weeping only lasts for a night, even though that night can feel so very long.
This verse doesn't say that hope and joy and peace are automatic. Paul asks that we may be filled with all joy and peace. Not just joy, but all joy. Not just peace even, but peace in believing. Have you ever not felt peace while trying to believe? I have, actually I do right now! This verse is set up like an if...then statement. If you are filled with all joy and peace in believing, then the power of the Holy Spirit may abound in hope. We have to have the first part, the filling of God's joy and peace, in order to have the hope that the Holy Spirit has the power to work in us. He is in us, that happened already, but with God's joy and peace filling us up He can go to work giving us abounding hope.
I have a choice. I can keep my eyes on me and my circumstances, or I can choose to ask for the God of hope to fill me with all joy and peace in believing. Once I make that choice I guarantee one of two outcomes. If I choose me then I stifle the power of the Holy Spirit to give me abounding hope. If I choose to turn to God and ask for this joy and peace, then I open up the flood gates for the Holy Spirit's power to make me abound in hope. It seems like an easy choice, it really does, but the truth is I choose me more than Him. It isn't always easy to choose His way. It costs part of me, a yucky part, to choose Him. That isn't easy, but hopefully it becomes easier for me to do that. I have to give up and give Him control to do what He wills in me. I have to make this choice daily. Once again, I will not say it is easy, and I will not say I choose it every time, because I don't. But the choice is always there.
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